St. Paul daily globe., 1887-11-07
TO PROTECT WOMEN.
An Address by Mrs. Van Cleve b

An Address by Mrs. Van Cleve Be-
fore the White Cross League.
At o'clock yesterday afternoon the
Gospel Temperance union held meet
ing at It's rooms, IS East Seventh street,
under the auspices of the White Cross
league. The object of the meeting was
to increase the membership of the
league in st. Paul and infuse the worth
ineSS of the cause into the hearts of
those in attendance The rooms were
comfortably filed, not only by members
of the union and league, but with many
young men between the ages OF sixteen
and twenty.
Mrs. C. o. Van Cleve, of MinneapO-
lis, state superintendent, made pleas
ing address in support of their 0rganlZa-
ton, She first stated the principal
features of the movement, as follows:
To treat all women with respect and en-
deavor to protect them from wrong and
degradation: to endeavOr to put down
all indecent jeStS and coarse language;
to maintain the law of purity as equally
binding upon men and women; to en-
deavOr to spread the principles broad
east. In order to do so it was first nee
essary to keep thyself pure"
Mrs. Van Cleve did not hesitate to
give the
YOUNG SOCIETY MEN
a slap in this wise:
"a friend came to me one morning and
said, Mrs. Van Cleaye, l went to fine
party last evening and really was quite
shocked in one thing-that was, to see
those pure. lovely young girls meeting
and dancing with young men. who,
although they are in the highest rank of
ruDt.' 1t is positively a shame, and If
anything could be done to prevent these
pure Young girls from coming in con-
tact with these dissipated young men. it
should be done at once" She then told
how young girl had started to seek her
fortune alone in the world, and came to
MINNEAPOLIS. She had friends there
but knew not where to find them. She
was met by nicely-dreSSed young man
who offered to take her where she
wished to go. On the way he said some
thing to her that caused her to at once
give him the grand shake, and pursue
her Journey alone. She told how the
society for the prevention of such things
had at one time died out in Minneapolis
and a new one was organized composed
of both sexes. This was wrong. as the
rules said it should be composed of men
only. However. it was found that when
the men were alone. they got to talking
of things they shouldn't talk about.
Mrs. Van Cleve implOred the young
men to also see, if possible, that girls
and women should get higher wages
than they get now. She told how a
young girl working in Minneapolis
store had even stolen some money. She
was called up and confessed her crime
to the proprietor. She opened Oh him
as follows:
Yes, l stole the money, but actually
had to do it. You require us to come
here
NICELY AND NEATLY DRESSED,
and expect us to do it and pay our board
and all other expenses on the starvation
wages YOU pay us" The girl was kept
and her wages and those of the rest
raised. She also told of young woman
in Minneapolis who had four children
and a sick husband to care for. She
made shirts for a certain firm at cents
apiece and could only make four day.
She was endeavOring to keep her family
and at the same time pay for the sewing
machine she was obliged to have, at "A
cents d day. She was found one day by
lady, scarcely able to stand, making
some cruel, out of the last corn meal
she had. for her children and dying hus-
band, at the same time denying herself
any. Such things as these must be
looked after, and Mrs. Van Cleve ex-
hOrted her hearers to do all they could.
Many pledges were taken, upwards of
twenty or thirty.